Benjamin Crowley ( – 1842) was a 19th-century American pioneer and the namesake of

Crowley's Ridge Crowley's Ridge (also Crowleys Ridge) is a geological formation that rises 250 to above the alluvial plain of the Mississippi embayment in a line from southeastern Missouri to the Mississippi River near Helena, Arkansas. It is the most pro ...

Early life and westward migration

Crowley was born in

Halifax County, Virginia Halifax County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 34,022. Its county seat is Halifax. History Occupied by varying cultures of indigenous peoples for thousands of years, in histo ...

, the son of Benjamin Crowley and Sarah Strong. By 1787, he was living in

Oglethorpe County, Georgia Oglethorpe County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,825. The county seat is Lexington. Oglethorpe County is included in the Athens-Clarke County, GA Metrop ...

, to which the Crowley and Strong families had migrated. On August 9, 1808 he

patented A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an enabling disclosure of the invention."A p ...

Christian County, Kentucky Christian County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 72,748. Its county seat is Hopkinsville. The county was formed in 1797. Christian County is part of the Clarksville, TN–KY Metropo ...

. He was listed living there on the 1810 census. By June 16, 1817, Benjamin was listed in

Lawrence County, Arkansas Lawrence County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2010 census, the population was 17,415. The county seat is Walnut Ridge. Lawrence County is Arkansas's second county, formed on January 15, 1815, and named for Capta ...

where he was the administrator of his son John's estate.

Crowley's Ridge

On October 12, 1819 Benjamin Crowley purchased land from Solomon Hewitt for $200 on the Spring River about two miles (3 km) above the mouth of the

Eleven Point River The Eleven Point River is a river in southern Missouri and northern Arkansas, United States. It originates near Willow Springs, Missouri. It more than doubles in flow when Greer Spring Branch runs into it, adding over of water per day to the ri ...

, on the North side of said Spring River where Benjamin was currently living. On November 27, 1820 Benjamin Crowley was issued a

land bounty Land, also known as dry land, ground, or earth, is the solid terrestrial surface of the planet Earth that is not submerged by the ocean or other bodies of water. It makes up 29% of Earth's surface and includes the continents and various isla ...

of for his service in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...

. The land was in

Phillips County, Arkansas Phillips County is a county located in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Arkansas, in what is known as the Arkansas Delta along the Mississippi River. As of the 2020 census, the population was 16,568. The county seat is Helena–West ...

. He was listed as a

Matross A matross was a soldier of artillery, who ranked next below a gunner. The duty of a matross was to assist the gunners in loading, firing and sponging the guns. They were provided with firelocks, and marched with thstore-wagons acting as guards. I ...

in Hobart's Company of Light Artillery. In 1821 he moved to and founded

. In 1832 he founded the Post Office for Greene County, which was formed in 1833. On August 16, 1838, Benjamin Crowley had bounty land, his son, Wiley, had . Benjamin died in 1842 and is buried at Pioneer Cemetery, also called Shiloh Cemetery. In the 1930s, the

Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was a major part of ...

built numerous buildings on

Crowley's Ridge State Park Crowley's Ridge State Park is a Arkansas state park in Greene County, Arkansas in the United States atop Crowley's Ridge. Located on the former homesite of pioneer Benjamin Crowley, the park contains many excellent examples of the work done by ...

which encompasses his estate. They also constructed a monument where he was buried. Benjamin Crowley helped found

Greene County, Arkansas Greene County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2010 census, the population was 42,090. The county seat is Paragould, which sits atop Crowley's Ridge. Greene County is included in Jonesboro–Paragould Combined St ...

, was its first postmaster and also founded the first church. He has many descendants living on Crowley's Ridge to this day, and his land, now Crowley's Ridge State Park, is a very popular tourist destination. Arkansas also built the Crowley's Ridge Parkway, linking many of the parks and popular attractions throughout eastern Arkansas.

Personal life

On December 15, 1795, he married Catherine Annie Wiley, the daughter of Peter Wiley and Mary Sharkey. Catherine was born c. 1771 in Augusta County, Virginia and died in 1850 at Crowley (present day Walcott) in

. Their children were: #Thomas Crowley (March 18, 1796 – bef 1829) who married Cynthia Campbell #Samuel Crowley (February 28, 1798 – March 13, 1837) who married Sarah Lamb and Sarah Hutchins #John Crowley (February 28, 1800 – 1816) #Wiley Crowley (March 27, 1803 – abt 1847) who married Lucy Capps #Polly Crowley (April 5, 1805 – abt 1841) who married Abraham Pevehouse #Benjamin Crowley III (November 1, 1807 – bef 1830) who died building a military road #Margaret Crowley (May 15, 1810 – ?) who married Charles Robertson and John McDaniel #Sarah Crowley (1812–?) who married Thomas Lamb

References

Census records, tax lists, "Fathers of the Ridge," by George Rowland; "A History of Greene County," (13 newspaper articles) by Benjamin H. Crowley; Bureau of Land Management. {{DEFAULTSORT:Crowley, Benjamin 1758 births 1842 deaths American pioneers Crowley's Ridge Arkansas Territory Burials in Arkansas People from Greene County, Arkansas People from Halifax County, Virginia People of pre-statehood Arkansas United States Army personnel of the War of 1812 Virginia colonial people